Who could follow Altuve to the major leagues if Astros deal?

ST. LOUIS — I received a great question on Twitter yesterday from the wonderfully named @KevinBassStache, who asked

“If #Astros end up dealing multiple players, who is most likely to get called up from farm next?”

This is a good question even if they deal one more player, after Jose Altuve was the one called up to replace Jeff Keppinger when Keppinger was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

The caveat in all this is that it could very well be the player who was traded in that or another deal, like when Brett Wallace stepped in for Lance Berkman, who had been traded in a different deal. So for instance when the Astros trade Hunter Pence to the Braves for Jason Heyward (kidding, if I must explain that), he would step in at that position.

But what if it’s a trade for a positional mismatch or lower level prospects, then who could be the next to get the call? There are the obvious choices of the most experienced prospects or those who have already seen the big leagues, and then there are some others to look out for.

If a starting pitcher is traded

(Note: This will take effect anyway once Jordan Lyles is shut down for the season at 165-170 total innings. He’s at 120 1/3 right now.)

The obvious: Aneury Rodriguez moves back into the rotation, and either Wesley Wright or Jeff Fulchino is called up to the bullpen from Class AAA.

Fulchino has allowed one run and four hits in nine innings at Class AAA Oklahoma City, while Wright was called up while Matt Downs was on paternity leave after pitching well, and Brad Mills would love another lefty at his disposal.

Look out for: Lucas Harrell joining the rotation. The Astros were thrilled to have Harrell go on waivers, and they snapped him up from the White Sox and have watched him excel in three AAA starts. The 26-year-old veteran of 29 big league innings with the White Sox has a 1.00 ERA so far for OKC, giving up two runs on 13 hits in 18 innings, walking nine and striking out 16.

Dallas Keuchel, a finesse lefty having a great year at Class AA Corpus Christi, could be the choice if they want to jump in the express line again like they did with Altuve.

If an outfielder is traded

The obvious: Unless two outfielders are traded, Jason Bourgeois likely steps into the spot of either Hunter Pence or Michael Bourn. Bourgeois can easily handle all three outfield positions. The obvious would be to go where they’ve gone before, taking back Brian Bogusevic from Oklahoma City for another lefthanded bat on a team that is woefully short on them.

Look out for: J.D. Martinez. Initially (get it?) J.B. Shuck got a longer look in spring training and was a Pacific Coast League All-Star, but Martinez probably has the higher upside from Class AA. The Astros have proven a willingness to go that route in taking Altuve over Anderson Hernandez or Tommy Manzella for the second base opening.

Martinez is hitting .341 with a .418 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage. His home run power is starting to come around, as he now has 12, half of which have come in July.

One problem, though, is the difficulty of having Martinez come up and sit as Bogusevic might, so Bourgeois in this case, likely would not start. He is also strictly a corner man, having played only left field this year and some right last year. If it’s Hunter Pence gone, they can try to force it in right. If it’s Michael Bourn gone, it could be Bourgeois in, Bogusevic up and Martinez still getting regular at-bats in the minors.

If an infielder is traded

Clint Barmes could draw some interest in the final days, and if that’s the case, Angel Sanchez could play shortstop and Hernandez or Manzella could come up, or Manzella could step right into the starting role for his superior defense.

Jonathan Villar, the Class AA shortstop from the Roy Oswalt trade, is probably not ready.